So I Get Home From Work, Fire Off From The Coals, And We Go Thunk ...

madison said:

Thanks for the info and clarification. I wonder why the pumice bricks in the front center of my T6 deteriorate? I have been burning 90% locust the past 5 yrs??

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Try scooping the ash from the first 4 or 5 inches of the firebox every day or every other day. Especially in center front. I have found that this area, where the chinkers form(seems from the boost manifold air & flames), and I have found that the chinkers get baked into the surface of the floor bricks in this area. The longer they are left there super heated, the more they bake into the brick surface, and take parts of the surface off when you scoop or pry the chinkers loose. Since more frequent scooping in the front center, I have not had the issue of those bricks delaminating so fast.

Thanks Hog I believe you are absolutely correct. My tendency has been to do the opposite - thus leading to the problem. I pull all the ash/coals to the front before reloading (in hopes of burning it all down) and I do get these rather large slabs of "rock" which when I do shove them out, delaminate the pumice bricks along with the ash chunks. When I have used the non pumice bricks in the front center, I did not have this issue.

Thanks for sharing your observation and tips.